Tasty
by Scooter Kitty
Summary: Grave Danger from a different perspective. It's very short, rather pointless, and well, different. Give it a try.


Author's note: okay, so this story is kind of an experiment and I'm not entirely sure that it's going to 'fly', but hey, at least it's short. While it's not a humorous story, it's certainly not intended to be taken too seriously.

Standard Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine. They belong to CBS and the writers of the show CSI.

1/10/06

TASTY

"_My name is Legion," he said. "For we are many."_

_Mark 5:9_

This One moved quickly through the loose soil. Foraging for food for the large colony was a never ending task and This One and her caste group were kept very busy from sunup til sundown. The foragers were forced to travel further and further away from the colony each day. This One was currently following a pheromone trail which had been well marked by the passage of countless other previous foragers. Unfortunately the food at this site had almost been depleted. They would need to branch out and begin searching for new sources very soon.

Such was the endless repetition of her days, gather food and bring it back to the colony. Repeat this until the food supply was exhausted, then find a new source. This constant activity would continue until eventually she dropped in her tracks, or met with a more sudden end, as some predator's meal or ground under the foot of one of the careless Giant Ones.

As she scurried briskly along, she kept her antennae moving, smelling the air around her. She could detect the scents of her caste group, who had walked along this same trail only moments before her. She was comforted by the confirmation of their close proximity. She did not like being alone. Alone she was nothing, but in the company of her cast group, she was part of a force to be reckoned with.

Abruptly a new scent reached her ever-questing antennae, an all-together different scent than the familiar smells of her caste group. It was an alarm pheromone, which the foragers emit when they are crushed. Instantly, her every instinct reverted to a defensive mode. The colony was being threatened! This One was a forager, a provider of food, but she was also a warrior and she would defend her colony with her very last breath.

Leaving the marked trail, she forged her way through the soft soil, digging rapidly downward, heading in the direction of the source of distress. She was quickly joined by other warriors, who had also been drawn by the alarm. These tiny soldiers may have only reached a millimeter or two in length, but as their ranks continued to swell, they soon became a small army which could easily swarm and overwhelm a much, much larger foe than themselves. In fact, as the alarm pheromones continued to be passed among the foragers, it would eventually reach the colony and even the smaller builder castes and nursery workers would leave the safety of the underground chambers to join in the defense. When the colony was under attack, every worker did her part.

Arriving at the source of the alarm, This One found her progress impeded by some kind of barrier, which she could not penetrate. The others beside her were similarly barred. For a moment they were confused and scrabbled, in vain, at the smooth barrier, trying to claw their way past it. But then another warrior joined them. This One and her caste group quickly gathered around the newcomer, taking turns pressing their antennae against hers. In this manner, she transmitted the message to the others to follow her and she would lead them past the barrier.

Once past the mysterious wall, This One and her group found themselves confronted with one of the Giant Ones. These enormous creatures occasionally wandered into the midst of the colony. When they did, they often caused massive damages. They had to be neutralized as quickly as possible. The queen, the colony, and the young had to be protected, at all costs. And although the Giant Ones were sometimes extremely large, if the warriors fought as one, they could bring the Giants down. And once they were down, they were easier to overwhelm. And this Giant was already down.

Along with her fellow warriors, This One moved in for the attack. Climbing onto the soft flesh of the Giant, she bit down with her mandibles. Now securely attached by her four teeth, she lowered her rear gaster segment and injected her stinger into the Giant, releasing her potent alkaloid venom. But unlike her cousins, the bee and the wasp, This One would not lose her stinger and die after its use. She was a true warrior. She would retain her weapon and she was free to use it, again and again.

The Giant One shuttered in response to the concentrated attack, momentarily dislodging This One. She quickly scrambled back to her position and bit down again... Hmm... her tiny mind registered, it was rather tasty. In fact, it tasted kind of like chicken...

Gil Grissom sat up with a slight gasp... Whoa, what a strange dream, he thought, rubbing a hand over his burning eyes. He sat back in the padded, vinyl hospital chair, wincing as the cramped muscles in his lower back and neck protested this movement. He reached back and messaged the muscles with one hand.

He glanced over at the man occupying the bed he had fallen asleep slumped against. Nick was still drifting, relatively quietly, in his drug-induced slumber. The angry-looking, white and red pustules that covered every inch of his exposed skin seemed to almost glow in the dim light of the small hospital room.

Still rubbing his stiff neck, Gil glanced back down at the article he had been reading before he had fallen asleep, slumped over the foot of Nick's bed. The article was from one of his entomology journals. It was titled: '_Solenopsis invicta_, or the Red Imported Fire Ant.' With a weary sigh, he rubbed his eyes again. The last few days had been long and emotionally draining. And Nick wasn't completely out of the woods yet, not physically and certainly not mentally.

Picking up the reading glasses he had set aside earlier, he was about to return to his vigil and his reading, when he could have sworn he caught a faint whiff of baked chicken. Without thinking, he glanced over at the still-sleeping man in the bed. Realizing what he was doing, Gil gave his head a shake and slipped the glasses back over his ears.

I definitely need some time off after all this, he thought to himself, as he picked up the journal and returned to his article.

THE END

Sources:

"Featured Creatures: the Red Imported Fire Ant", University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences, Department of Entomology and Nematology and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry.

"O. Orkin Insect Zoo: Basic Facts- Insect Communication", Mississippi State University.

"Ants", Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia.


End file.
